Praise for Blind Salvage(19)

She tapped her finger against her lips several times before answering me. “Both Dox and I received a phone call, an hour before you came through, that you would need help and that you would be gravely injured. I don’t know who it was, but there was truth in the words I could feel through my bones. So I listened and prepared for your injuries. If I’d have known that they were as bad as they turned out to be, I would have had Crystal come sooner. And yes, I opened the block on the entrance to the veil, but that was some time ago.”

I frowned. This didn’t make any sense. Who could have known? The only person who might have had an inkling that injuries would be involved would be someone who’d known that the giant and the red caps were there. Like someone who’d set the whole damn fiasco up. But that would be ridiculous. Unless whoever set it up had a henchman who wasn’t kosher with the plan to take us out. “Was it a man or a woman?”

“While they tried to disguise their voice, I do believe it was a woman. Now, rest, for whomever it was that made the call surely saved your life.”

Well, shit. To owe someone your life was one thing, but to not even know who it was? That was just damn weird.

I thanked Crystal, who blushed and stammered while she covered my upper body with a blanket and then backed out of the truck. The youngest of the Shamans in the area, she had a lot to learn about keeping her emotions off her face. Pamela wobbled down the porch and pulled herself into the truck, but she wouldn’t make eye contact with me. In her arms, she held clothes that were far too large for her.

Dox followed her out and slid into the driver’s seat. “Alright, ladies. Let’s go. The wolf boys will meet us back at my place.”

Pamela was silent on the drive to Dox’s, though he made every effort to engage her. Finally, I’d had enough of her quiet brooding, the itching feeling in my belly having nothing to do with the fast healing stitches there.

“Pamela, what happened, why are you being so quiet?”

I watched with amusement as her spine stiffened, and her shoulders tightened up. She was so easy to read, not unlike Crystal; Pamela had yet to learn how to hide her emotions.

“What are you talking about?”

Dox cleared his throat. “I can answer that for you. Liam wanted to rush out and help Louisa with you. I couldn’t let him, so we got in a little tangle, nothing I couldn’t handle mind you.”

Pamela let out soft breath. “And I wrapped him up in a spell so they wouldn’t fight.”

I groaned and closed my eyes. Shit, the last thing we needed was Liam to get worked up about Pamela. His time with Milly had not left him particularly forgiving when it came to witches. To say the least.

“Unless he’s going to kill you, you don’t touch him with a spell. Got it?”

She stared straight ahead. “Yes, ma’am.”

A few minutes later, we were pulling into ‘The Landing Pad,’ Dox’s bar and hotel. I sat up, slowly, to see that Liam and Alex were already there. Alex was panting hard, his overly long tongue hanging out, and as soon as the truck door opened, I could hear him complaining.

“Too fast, Boss. Feets hurt like hell.” He shoved one of his paws under Liam’s nose, as if to make his point, and Liam bit him. Not hard, but enough to make Alex back down. The submissive werewolf slunk over to the truck, his eyebrows drawn sharply over his golden eyes. “Damn bossy Boss.”

Dox opened the doors and held his hand out to me. “Louisa said you were ok to walk once we got here, just nothing else.”

Good, at least I had that going for me. I put my hand in his and he helped me down out of the truck. Nothing hurt yet, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t soon enough. I clutched one arm around my middle, to brace my ribs.

Sure, I would heal fast, probably be a hundred percent in two or three days. That didn’t mean during that time things wouldn’t hurt, or that I couldn’t re-injure myself.

Dox helped me into one of the spare motel rooms set off the side of the Landing Pad, and Liam slipped inside, still in wolf form.

“Dox, would you look after Pamela and Alex for a bit?” I lowered myself onto the bed and kicked off my boots.

“No problem. They get in my hair and I’ll just feed them some ogre beer.” He winked at me, and then closed the door behind him as he left. Thank the gods for loyal friends I could trust.

Liam shifted as soon as the door was shut. Closing in on midday, and all I wanted to do was sleep, but first I had to hear his side of the story.

“What happened at the castle?” I peered up at him as he slid my jeans down over my hips. My shirt was cut up the middle so that was easy enough for him to slide off, and in any other circumstance, my blood would have been pounding at the care he was taking with me, his fingers brushing lightly against my skin here and there. As it was, I was just grateful to have someone looking out for me for once.